Sony Responds To Fortnite Nintendo Drama

By Derek Nichols 27 June 2018

During E3 2018, the phenomenon that is Fortnitefinally launched on Nintendo Switch after months of speculation and rumor. While fans flocked to download the free to play third-person shooter on the highly portable device, many were met with a strange error message preventing them from logging in. It was later discovered that player accounts already tied to a PlayStation 4 were barred from logging in on other consoles. Naturally, fans were irate at this discovery and after nearly two days, Sony has finally responded to all of the drama surrounding Fortnite.

Since the Fortnite error message, Sony has been pressured to respond to what most feel is the company’s fault. In a statement to the BBC, a Sony representative issued the following regarding the accusations:

“We’re always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience. With… more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we’ve built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms. We have nothing further to add beyond this at this point.”

Unfortunately for Sony, this statement essentially dances around the issue, even missing any sort of acknowledgment of the actual problem. It also does nothing to tell fans if the company is working on addressing the issue, reading more like a congratulatory press release. With a game as popular as Fortnite, especially after reaching an impressive 125 million players, this is an issue that likely won’t go away anytime soon and is something that Sony will eventually be forced to deal with.

Word of this issue spread like wildfire on Tuesday once users discovered the problem. Longtime Sony fan and internet personality Greg Miller even got in on the act, expressing disappointment with Sony for allowing this to happen and imploring the company to fix it. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime also went on record saying that there’s not much his company can do regarding how other platforms treat Fortnite accounts. Fils-Aime also stated that Nintendo is and will continue to be a company that supports cross-play initiatives.

Fortnite is available now in early access on Nintendo Switch, iOS PC, PS4, and Xbox One.